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Jaqen "Salty Jack" H'gar
Jaqen H'gar, also known as Jack or Salty Jack, hails from the watery planet of Dac, and was formerly captain of the Freedom Fish. He is almost never seen without Billious Qarrack, or Barnacle Bill, who is his Mon Calamarian first mate. H'gar is currently captain of the New Republic gunship Jaws of Justice. Biography History and Early Life (29 BBY–13 BBY) ‘Tis a twisting, treacherous tale from the time of this Quarren’s birth to his current state. He was born in 29 BBY in the depths of Dac to a young mother who would much rather not have had him at all, and his youth was similar to many beings whose parents abandoned them to their fate. He grew up in an orphan’s home, but ever since he could speak he talked of nothing but exploring the depths of his soggy homeworld. He always had an aptitude for mechanical things, and, though his mannerisms were a little unusual, he had a mysterious charisma about him, and so never lacked for friends and companions growing up. The orphanage was a very religious institution, and so Jack grew up learning tales of the Great Seafarer, who sailed the skies in a ship made of clouds. When a Quarren died, it was said that the Seafarer had caught him with his great hook and reeled him into his eternal rest. These teachings were ingrained in Jack, and never left him, though he saw many strange things and experienced many other worldviews in the years that he sailed the galaxy. When he was 14 he left the home and began living on the streets, though he spent most of his time by the shipyards. He made a somewhat respectable living there, doing odd jobs for the crews of various seabound vessels and learning all he could about their operations. Finally, he convinced the captain of one of them to take him along as a deckhand, and from that point on he rarely set foot on land until his adulthood. Ascendancy to Captain (13 BBY–3 BBY) From the minute Jack set foot onto the deck of the Squid’s Ink, he knew that he had found the home that he never had before. He started out as the lowest of the low, doing all the jobs that no one else wanted with gusto and more enthusiasm than any of the rest of the crew. This diligence earned him the eye of the captain, Rossek Jawena, and though he was a rough-tongued old squid and often blustered about throwing Jack overboard for the krakana, he began giving Jack more and more responsibility. It was from him that Jack learned how to navigate, handle a crew, and a million other little things that would serve him well in years to come. The crew contained some of the most powerful mercenaries on Dac, eluding the authorities for years and getting richer every one of them. Jack's friendship with the captain also earned him a nickname. Since he left the orphanage, he refused to eat salt, because all the food that was prepared there was infused with vast amounts of this cheap flavoring and he grew to hate the taste of it. Rossek said that this was because he had eaten so much of it that it had become saturated and refused to accept any more, so he took to calling him Salty, and the name stuck. There came a day when Rossek was tired of sailing the murky seas, and decided to hand his ship to someone else. Jack had become his most trusted confidante at this time, and so was the natural choice for successor. Some of the crew grumbled, but they soon saw that Jack seemed to have inherited Rossek’s talent for leadership, and as long as they were getting paid, it was all the same to most of them. Journey to Space (3 BBY–12 ABY) So it was that Jack took control of the Squid’s Ink, carrying on Rossek’s legacy. However, though he was still mercenary enough to be classified as “pirate,” tales of him were told with more reverence than fear. He wasn’t a philanthropist by any means, but he could never quite forget his humble beginnings, and the misery he had felt growing up without a home. Because of this, whenever he could, he would try to give something to the orphanage in which he was raised, through various pseudonyms and pretenses. He hid his secret well, and few knew about it with any certainty, so he was still able to hold the respect of his ragged band of ruffians. One fateful day, he and his crew came upon a rather strange sight. They had surfaced to attack an Imperial waveskimmer, when they beheld a Mon Calamari who had somehow managed to attach himself to the hull of their ship, clinging tenaciously for all he looked half-dead. Some of the crew wanted to push him off, but Jack felt that his story would be worth hearing, and hauled him aboard instead. After some dry clothes and a hot meal, the castaway was ready to talk about his misfortune. The Quarren’s name was Billious Qarrack, and he had been captain of his own ship, until his crew had been attacked by another ship of pirates. Given the choice between walking the plank and joining the victorious ship, the crew had mutinied, throwing Bill overboard to feed the various forms of carnivorous life that dwell in the murky seas. Jack took pity on Bill, and invited him to join his crew, christening him "Barnacle" because of the way he was found; little did Jack know that Bill would turn out to be his greatest friend. With Bill at his side, Jack and his crew became more and more successful, plundering and marauding and doing all sorts of other devilishly fun things, mostly against the Empire, whom Jack resented for taking over his planet and trying to incite war between its species. However, he always dreamed of something more, to be able to explore uncharted territory now that the waters held no more mysteries for him. So, one day he decided to disband his crew, sell his ship and buy a starship instead, curious to see what the rest of the galaxy held for him. Freedom Fish (12 ABY) Jack and Bill bought themselves a Nestt-class Light Freighter, because of its concealed weapons, and named it the Freedom Fish. Since the ship they chose did not need much in the way of a crew, they decided to strike out on their own, and immediately left Dac to explore the farthest reaches of the galaxy. They had enough credits to keep them afloat for a time, enough to be able to learn the fine art of space pirating, mostly by trial and error. One of their first trips was to Toydaria, to bring a supply of concentrated foodstuffs to the world during one of their shortages. It was there that they met Zergo, a Toydarian with a honeyed tongue and a penchant for racking up large gambling debts. Because of the latter, he was looking for immediate passage offworld, and by virtue of the former, he was able to convince Jack and Bill to let him join their crew in exchange for them paying his debt. The two companions agrees, and so they became three, though, as Zergo constantly reminded them, the third was only there to pay off his debt, and as soon as he finished he planned to leave. Jack spent four fruitful years with his crew on the Freedom Fish, amassing a moderate sum of credits and gaining a bit of notoriety in some circles. He got to know his way around a good number of the systems in the galaxy, and though he didn't pick up any more permanent crew members, he made quite a few useful contacts who would help him in a pinch, either because of a debt owed or out of respect. However, just as the wheel of fortune will spin until you are at the top, so it will also fall, and Jack's fall came sooner than he would have thought. One day, when the Freedom Fish was en route to Nar Shaddaa on a routine rum run, the ship jolted abruptly out of hyperspace. Jack and his crew found themselves in the grips of a hideous monster, all lashing tentacles and sharp, fearsome teeth. Jack and Bill barely managed to escape in the pods, which landed them on Ord Mantell. Believing Zergo, his ship, and his and his crew's belongings lost to the depths of space, Jack raged against his god and asked time and time again why this had been allowed to happen. However, there was nothing for it but bury the past and start again, and that was precisely what he intended to do. Roleplay Logs ''See Jaqen H'gar's Logs for complete listing.'' H'gar, Jaqen